Last year, the Mathews Center launched our Annual Fund to better fulfill our mission to strengthen civic life across Alabama. A generous donor came forward with an offer to match the gifts we received, and we are delighted to report that this offer has been extended: all donations received by September 30, 2022, up to a maximum of $85,000, will be matched dollar for dollar.

Applications are now open for the 2022-2023 McKenzie Civic Fellowship. Learn more and apply today!

The David Mathews Center for Civic Life hosted the second virtual JOIP Intern Retreat on Friday, February 25, 2022. Over 20 students and faculty mentors from five universities across the state met via Zoom to get to know each other, learn about the DMC, and share their upcoming JOIP projects for the Spring semester.

The David Mathews Center for Civic Life’s (DMC) Innovators in Civic Education Fellowship provides classroom and community-based educators with the resources and training they need to bring high-quality, civics-forward social studies education to their classroom.

The David Mathews Center for Civic Life is pleased to announce our Jean O’Connor-Snyder Internship Call for Proposals for the 2022-23 academic year!

2021 was a year of exciting transition for the Mathews Center! From welcoming our newest Executive Director to launching our Annual Fund, we are inspired to reach new goals and objectives in the coming years. Join us as we recap 2021 and highlight all our programs and events throughout the year!

The Together book club wrapped up on November 9 with a crash course in deliberative dialogue and community forums. DMC Executive Director Rachel Mosness guided the ACE communities through a typical deliberative forum and what they could expect as potential moderators.

On November 2, the second installment in the DMC and ACE book club took place over Zoom. Following the guidelines listed in Together: Building Stronger, Better Communities, ACE representatives participated in a “Community Checkup” to assess the status of civic life in their towns. According to Dr. Mathews, “Many of the things communities do must be done by citizens working together.”

On Tuesday, October 26, the David Mathews Center for Civic Life and Alabama Communities of Excellence kicked off the first session of an online discussion series with various ACE communities. Each week, groups meet via Zoom to discuss how to become “leaderful” communities based on a forthcoming book by Dr. David Mathews, entitled Together: Building Better, Stronger Communities. The goal of this series is to help community leaders and active citizens strengthen civic life in their communities and connect with other small town leaders across the state.

This grant is one of 83 distributed statewide by the Alabama Humanities Alliance to help cultural organizations bounce back from the pandemic.

Jean O’Connor-Snyder intern Benjamin Hand shares how the people and places in Walker County transform a community into a home.

Jean O’Connor-Snyder intern Lauren Landers explores how the community of Camden celebrates the collective history of the Black Belt region through art.

Even if you weren’t able to join us live for this year’s Civic Institute, you don’t have to miss out on all the amazing content highlighting the great work being done by our community partners all over Alabama. Download this interactive PDF of all the day’s programming with clickable links to videos and more!

When I joined the Kettering Foundation in 1981, the board and I agreed that in addition to being president, I would continue the research and writing I had been doing while in universities. So, I have had two jobs. Now I would like to have just one.

Jean O’Connor-Snyder intern Katy Hurd delves into the role of Capstone Rural Health Center as a staple for Walker County in both healthcare and community connections.

Jean O’Connor-Snyder intern Oquendo Bernard captures how small-town volunteer programs serve their community and extend a helping hand even during the most challenging times.

Since the creation of the Greater Sylacauga Resiliency Network in 2020, the Sylacauga community has come together to make a difference and strengthen civic engagement. One of the major goals of the Network is collaborating with other organizations and assessing common needs.

Jean O’Connor-Snyder intern Patrick Dutton reflects on how two Walker County natives found new opportunities to better serve their hometown.